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Day 1 - Saturday: Johannesburg – Cairo
Evening departure from Johannesburg with Egypt Air. Dinner will be served on board. (D)
Day 2 – Sunday: Cairo - Tel Aviv – Jaffa – Jerusalem - Mt. of Olives – Garden of Gethsemane
Light breakfast on board prior to landing in Cairo, check in for flight to Tel Aviv. Mid-morning arrival in Tel Aviv. On arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, you will meet your driver and guide. We drive through the modern city of Tel Aviv, founded 100 years ago on the Mediterranean shore. Next have a short tour of the ancient port city of Jaffa ("Joppa"), from where the prophet Jonah set sail, and where the "cedars of Lebanon", sent by the Phoenicians, arrived to be used in King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem nearly 3,000 years ago. Drive "up" to Jerusalem, the Holy City. The first stop is on the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of the Old City. Then visit the peaceful and meditative Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus hid and was captured by the Romans, with its 2,000 year old olive trees and the Church of the Agony (also called the Church of All Nations). Arrive at your hotel in Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (D)
Day 3 - Monday: Jerusalem Old City – Western Wall – Southern Wall Stairs – Bethesda Pool – Church of St. Anne – Via Dolorosa - Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Garden Tomb
Breakfast in your hotel. Enter the Old City of Jerusalem, and visit the Western ("Wailing") Wall, remnant of the foundation of the Second Temple from the time of Jesus, and holiest site of Judaism. Tour the Southern Wall Excavations and walk on the stairs where Jesus taught, that led into the Temple. Visit Bethesda Pool, and the Church of St. Anne. Follow the Via Dolorosa ("Way of the Agonies") the path Jesus walked to the crucifixion, leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Calvary and Burial of Jesus. Walk through the bazaar area (time free for shopping), and end the touring with a visit to the Garden Tomb, a beautiful site, and a place for peaceful meditation. (A Communion Service can be arranged here.)
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 4 - Tuesday: Bethlehem – Yad Vashem – Ein Karem – Church of John the Baptist – Emmaus
Breakfast in your hotel. Today travel to Bethlehem, place of Jesus' Birth, and visit the Basilica of the Nativity. Here you will see fields with sheep grazing and it is easy to imagine how it must have been 2000 years ago. You will be able to shop for beautiful olive wood items that are a specialty of Christian artisans in Bethlehem. Return to Jerusalem for a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, the national memorial to the 6 million Jews killed during World War II. See the new museum and the Children’s Memorial. Tour the village of Ein Karem near Jerusalem, where John the Baptist was born, and where the Visitation between Elizabeth his mother and Mary mother of Jesus is said to have taken place. Then stop for a visit at Emmaus, traditional site of the meeting between Jesus and the Disciples after the Resurrection.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem (B,D)
Day 5 - Wednesday: Judean Desert – Dead Sea – View the Caves of Qumran – Masada – Swim in the Dead Sea – Ein Gedi Reserve
Breakfast in your hotel. Drive down through the Judean desert on your way to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea, located some 400 metres below sea level. Along the way you will be able to see from the road the modern city of Jericho, with a view also to the Mount of Temptation. View the caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and talk about their significance. Ascend the rock of Masada by cable car, walk through palaces built by Herod the Great and see evidence of the heroic struggle and last stand of the Jews against the Roman 10th Legion nearly 2000 years ago. Stop at the Dead Sea and enjoy a “Swim” in the salty, mineral rich waters. Enjoy a walk in the beautiful oasis of Ein Gedi, where David hid in one of the many caves from King Saul who was seeking to kill him. See the pools and waterfall. Return to Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 6 - Thursday: Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Jezreel Valley – Megiddo/Armageddon – Galilee – Nazareth – Cana – Tiberias
Breakfast in your hotel. Depart Jerusalem and travel northwest to the coastal plain. Stop for a tour of Caesarea Maritima, King Herod’s masterpiece city on the Mediterranean, built to impress the emperor in Rome as well as the local population. See the ancient theatre, hippodrome for horse and chariot races, and Herod's private palace, as well as the Crusader city. Drive by Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defeated the pagan priests of Ba’al, and then through the beautiful and fertile Jezreel Valley ("Valley of Armageddon") to the site of Megiddo/Armageddon. Discover why this tel (archaeological mound), which holds 5,000 years of accumulated cities, is viewed as the place for the “Cataclysm of the End of Days,” and see the stables and gateway built by King Solomon nearly 3,000 years ago. Continue east through the Galilee to Nazareth, the town where Jesus spent His childhood, and visit the Church of the Annunciation and also Mary’s Well. Finally, see the village of Cana where the first miracle of turning water into wine took place. Arrive at your hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee.
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 7 - Friday: Sea of Galilee – Boat Ride – Capernaum – Tabgha - Mt. Beatitudes – Golan Heights – Baptismal Site
Breakfast in your hotel. Enjoy a Boat Ride on the lovely Sea of Galilee, remembering the events which took place on this lake. Visit the ancient city of Capernaum, which was Jesus’ headquarters during His ministry in the Galilee, including the house of St. Peter and the synagogue where Jesus taught. Continue to Tabgha, traditional site of the miracle of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, and near the place where we commemorate Jesus telling Peter that he would be the "Rock" on which the Church would be built. Drive onto Mount Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Drive up to the Golan Heights, Biblical Bashan, for a panoramic view of the entire Sea of Galilee area. Finally, visit the Baptismal Site on the Jordan River, where the river meets the Sea of Galilee. Baptismal service can be arranged.
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 8 - Saturday: Morning Transfer to Jordanian Border – Jerash - Amman
Breakfast in your hotel. Morning transfer to the Sheikh Hussein Bridge on the Jordan River for crossing the border into the Kingdom of Jordan. Drive to Jerash (ancient Gerasa), which in its day was one of the cities of the Decapolis. This was one of the most prominent cities in the region at the time of Jesus. See the extensive excavations, the theatres, temples, colonnaded streets and public buildings. Continue to Amman, capital of Jordan. After a short city tour we stop to see the large Roman theatre in the middle of the city, before checking in at our hotel.
Dinner and overnight: Amman. (B,D)
Day 9 – Sunday: Petra
Drive south through desert areas once traversed by the Patriarchs, along the King’s Highway. We visit Medeba, where we see the ancient mosaic floor depicting the Holy Land. Nearby, we stop at Mt. Mebo. This is where Moses saw the Promised Land, and where he died. We continue to the Jordan River and we visit the baptismal site. Late afternoon, arrive in Petra, “the city half as old as time”.
Dinner and overnight: Petra. (B,D)
Day 10 – Monday: Petra
Breakfast in your hotel. Petra is cut into the rose-red rock and was constructed by the Nabateans approximately 2000 years ago. The Nabateans controlled the caravan trade from the Far East, and it is believed that the Three Wise Men were, in fact, Nabateans. Walk through the “Siq” (canyon) leading to Petra, where we see the “Treasury”, the theatre, various tombs and monumental buildings. A full day to marvel at this unique site.
Dinner and overnight: Petra. (B,D)
Day 11 – Tuesday: Petra – Amman – Cairo
The morning is spent at leisure in Petra. You may like to relax, or you may want to make another visit to this ancient wonder. For the active, we can recommend hiking to “the Monastery”, one of Petra’s more inaccessible sites but well worth the effort. Afternoon departure from Petra, we drive to Amman and board our flight to Cairo. You will be welcomed on arrival, and transferred to your hotel.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 12 – Wednesday: Egyptian Museum – Tut-Ankh-Amun treasures – Old Cairo – Hanging Church – Ben Ezra Synagogue – Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids
Today, a full day to explore some of ancient Egypt’s wonders. We start with a visit to the Egyptian Museum, which houses many ancient finds, such as the Tut-Ankh-Amun treasures. We continue to Old Cairo. This is the Coptic Quarter of Old Cairo, and we will visit the ancient “Hanging Church” as well as Ben Ezra Synagogue. This is where, according to legend, Moses was found in the bulrushes. Return to your hotel for dinner. In the evening we transfer to the Giza plateau, where we have a treat for you: An unforgettable Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 13 – Thursday: Wadi Natroun – Desert Monasteries
The Wadi (canyon) is located 100 km from Cairo. In Coptic Christian times, the area became a sanctuary for Christians who were fleeing the Roman persecution, and they developed a monastic order. The area flourished with tens of monasteries but only four have survived till today. Common to all these monasteries is their strong fortification, this was to protect the monks against the raiding Berbers and Bedouin. In visiting these monasteries you will also have a unique opportunity to learn a little of the history of Christianity in Egypt. Late afternoon return to Cairo.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 14 – Friday: Cairo – Pyramids & Sphinx – Khan-el-Khalili Bazaar - Dinner Nile Cruise
The morning is spent at leisure in Cairo. In the afternoon we drive to the Giza plateau, to see the giant Pyramids. We then stop to marvel at the Sphinx, before visiting Chephren’s Valley Temple. We then stop at a Perfume Factory, and we end our stay in Cairo with a farewell dinner – a Dinner Nile Cruise. During the cruise there will also be a folklore show. Late evening transfer to the airport, check in for the departure flight.. (B,D)
Day 15 – Saturday: Cairo – Johannesburg
Mid-morning arrival in Johannesburg. (B)
Please contact ITT for a quote.
Please note that all our Pilgrimage Packages have been created for groups of 20 or more passengers and as they do not operate with regular scheduled departures, cannot be booked by individual passengers unless they form part of a pre-arranged group.
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